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Mexican authorities have captured Edgar Valdez, the leader of one of the feuding drug cartels. Valdez, nicknamed “the Barbie” because of his light skin and blue eyes, was fighting for control of the Beltran Leyva cartel, and is wanted in the United States and Mexico with rewards offered by both governments of approximately $2 million.
The former head of the Beltran Leyva cartel was killed in a shoot out with marines, resulting in a struggle for control. Much of the violence around the Mexican capital has actually been directed at the Valdez’s allies. Four bodies were hung from a bridge by a rival gang leader, with a note threatening “la Barbie,” and numerous shoot outs between the factions have occurred. Meanwhile, Valdez has been instrumental in distributing thousands of pounds of cocaine in the United States.
28,000 have been killed in drug related violence in Mexico since a crack down was initiated in 2006, and over 50,000 federal police and soldiers are currently engaged in anti cartel operations.
The Mexican cartels are reported to provide 90 percent of the cocaine consumed in the US and to take in a profit of over $13 billion a year.
Valdez was identified by American prosecutors through wire taps in a related case in Atlanta. His operation was said to span four states, and to have expanded to money laundering and extortion along with its drug operations.
The cartels in general have expanded their operations and violence since the crack down began, and now resort to kidnapping and human trafficking in some cases. The operations still go hand in hand, as illegal immigrants smuggled across the border into the US are used as drug mules by some cartels.
Complicating any efforts against the cartels is the corruption of the Mexican police. Approximately 10 percent of the federal police were recently dismissed for failing periodic anti corruption checks.
